According to this USA Today story, a Pew survey found most Americans would like to live somewhere else. And guess what? Tampa was ranked as the fifth most popular place people would like to move to, favored by 34 percent of those surveyed. Orlando was fourth.

That's good news for Florida for whenever the housing market recuperates. Here's one key section:

In addition to Denver, favorite cities among Republicans are Phoenix, Orlando and San Antonio. Half of all liberals would like to live in San Francisco, more than double the share of conservatives. San Diego, once a bastion of conservatism, appeals to Democrats, liberals and moderates. "Good weather and the beach triumphs over ideology," Morin says.

I also found this bit interesting considering all the calls from "smart growth" proponents to abandon the suburbs in favor of city centers:

"City residents disproportionately are more likely than people living in other types of communities to say they would prefer to live in a place other than a city," Morin says. "Fewer than half of all city residents say there is no better place to live than in a city."

A smaller proportion of women express the desire to live in the nation's largest cities. "Women are less drawn to big cities," says Robert Lang, co-director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech. "It could be safety."

I'm not surprised by the anti-city findings. When I was single in my 20s, I preferred city life. That's where the bars, restaurants, movie theaters and unattached women were.

But when you become a Married with Children candidate, thoughts veer towards good suburbs with safe schools. You're no longer charmed by pools of vomit on the pavement, free-spending big city mayors and sirens 24-7.

Of course, most of the commentators who set the nation's cultural tempo live in big cities and tilt their coverage accordingly. Inner cities are not dens of depravity. But neither are the suburbs, all the Hollywood, American Beauty propaganda to the contrary.